University of Leeds
University of Leeds
OtherHow Compare Your Footprint partnered with the University of Leeds MSc Sustainability and Business programme to give students hands-on carbon accounting experience using real industry tools and methodology.
Challenge
The University of Leeds offers an MSc in Sustainability and Business to meet the growing demand for innovators capable of creating and reinventing sustainable enterprises. To ensure graduates gain practical, employable skills rather than purely theoretical knowledge, the programme is designed to provide hands-on experience with current industry carbon reporting practices. This includes direct exposure to and application of carbon accounting, Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) frameworks, preparing students for real-world sustainability and reporting roles.
Solution
Compare Your Footprint (CYF) established an academic partnership with the University built around three core elements:
- Guest lecture and workshop
- The relevance of carbon footprinting for businesses
Outcome
Students gained real-world experience of corporate carbon accounting using industry-standard tools and methodologies. Dr Rory Padfield, Associate Professor in Sustainability and Business at the Sustainability Research Institute, highlighted that the session provided an excellent balance of critical insight and practical application — fulfilling module learning outcomes while building distinctive employability skills for the cohort.
The University welcomes further academic partnerships with organisations interested in supporting the next generation of sustainability professionals.